If 36-year-old climber Adam Potter didn’t believe in luck before yesterday, he certainly does today. During a climb to the top of Sgurr Choinnich Mor in Scotland he slipped on ice and fell just before reaching the summit.

The fall was 1,000ft over several dangerous rocky outcrops, but when his friends called for the rescue helicopter the crew couldn’t believe what they discovered. Where a body lying on the ground was expected, instead they saw a man standing up reading his map.

The fall was watched by Potter’s girlfriend and two friends. She saw him bounce repeatedly over the rocky ground and must have thought the worst. But he just stood up at the end with only minor cuts, bruising and a chest injury.

Lt Barker, who was aboard the helicopter, couldn’t believe it:

We began to hover-taxi down the slope and spotted a man at the bottom, standing up. We honestly thought it couldn’t have been him, as he was on his feet, reading a map. Above him was a series of three high craggy outcrops.

It seemed impossible. So we retraced our path back up the mountain and, sure enough, there were bits of his kit in a vertical line all the way up where he had obviously lost them during the fall. It was quite incredible. He must have literally glanced off the outcrops as he fell, almost flying.